


A Case for the Ages

by papercaper



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, based reeaaally loosely on the game's storyline, rated t for swearing and shit, rating and characters and basically everything will probably change later on, spoilers for the very beginning but nothing else for a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-05-12 13:18:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5667472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papercaper/pseuds/papercaper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick Valentine is presented with one of the most fascinating puzzles of his career: tracking down the son of a cryogenically frozen, 200 year old human woman, who proves to be a less than cooperative partner to him on the case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first ever fic, so hopefully it isn't too terrible. I'd really appreciate you leaving any compliments and criticisms you have in the comments so I'll know what I need to work on to write better stuff in the future.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, I basically wrote this out of desperation for Toaster Dad to get some love since he can't be romanced in the game. This first chapter, although there are things in it that are important to the story, is mostly just an introduction, and me getting the hang of writing this. If all goes as planned, each chapter should have a little more fluff and a little more excitement than the last. So, enjoy! :)
> 
> Disclaimer: If I owned any of these characters (I don't), Nick would have been romanceable a looong time ago.

It was a peaceful evening in Diamond City as the dark night slowly settled over the sky like a blanket. Residents bade each other goodnight, and retreated to their homes; shopkeepers locked up their valuables and counted their day’s profits; security guards began roaming the streets, exchanging friendly greetings and appreciating the pleasant weather. All was tranquil and routine in Diamond City, which was how the residents liked it. A sleepiness seemed to settle over the buildings as the lights inside each of them gradually went out, until one last building remained awake with light. This building was none other than the Valentine Detective Agency, famous throughout Diamond City for the bright sign out front and the even brighter detective who owned it. 

Nick Valentine sat inside at his desk, a lit cigarette in one hand and the other scratching absently at his chin. The room was dimly lit by a rickety old table lamp, and the smell of his cigarette permeated the air. The clock on his desk read 11:28 p.m., though he hadn’t spared a glance at it for hours. He sat hunched over in his chair, staring with disdain at the case file on his desk. He had read through every word, scrutinized each fact of the case so many times that he figured he could probably recite it from memory by now. His eyes ached from staring at the paper for too long, and his thoughts were becoming more muddled and confused by the second. Despite giving the case his best efforts, he was completely and utterly stumped by it—a truth that made him more bitter than he cared to admit.

As he took a long drag on his cigarette and prepared to read through the case one last time for the night, Ellie’s voice startled him out of his thoughts.

“Nick, you’ve been at this for hours and it’s getting late. Don’t you think you should give it a rest?”

Nick puffed out the smoke from his cigarette and turned his chair to look at her with a wry grin.

“Why, so I can go get some sleep?”

Ellie rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smiling back. She crossed the room and sat on a corner of his desk.

“No, smart aleck. I just don’t think you can figure out much if your brain’s fried. Maybe if you revisit the case in a couple days, it’ll be a little easier.”

Nick shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe. I just hate to leave it sitting here knowing I haven’t made any progress on it since I started lookin’ at it.”

Ellie raised her eyebrows. Nick’s solved-case record wasn’t perfect—she suspected no detective’s was—but it was pretty damn close. A case that could successfully evade Nick Valentine’s understanding for hours on end was a rare case indeed. Her curiosity was piqued.

“Mind if I take a look at it?”

Nick handed her the file.

“Knock yourself out. Good luck makin’ any sense of it.”

Ellie took the file and began skimming through the overview. The case was about a missing person. Nothing new there, Ellie mused. Male in his 30s, Parker Rhys, Diamond City resident, brown hair, blah blah blah. He was last seen—

“Wait, what?” 

Ellie stopped to read and reread the last few sentences.

“’Parker was last seen being enveloped in a large beam of light. By time the light was gone, he had vanished. The single witness, Robin Yore, described it as being ‘similar to an alien abduction, but without the UFO.’ However, Yore observed that Parker was in a very open space; there was no place outside of the beam he could have gone that she would not have seen.’”  
Ellie stared at the file a moment longer, then looked at Nick. 

“So, he just…he literally disappeared. Into a beam of light.”

Nick nodded.

“That’s what it says.”

Ellie pondered it for a few seconds.

“That’s—that’s impossible. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Nick let out a short, resigned laugh.

“You’re telling me.”

Ellie read through the description once more to make sure she hadn’t missed some small, crucial detail that might piece it all together. She hadn’t. 

“Has the credibility of Yore’s report been checked? Maybe she’s just making some of this stuff up.”

Nick gave her a nod.

“There’s no way to know for sure, of course, since she was the only witness. But she came and found a security guard right after it happened, and apparently she was pretty shook up. Swore she wasn’t on Psycho or any other hallucinatory drugs. I interviewed her a few days ago and she seemed like an honest gal. She’d have no reason to make up a story like this anyway, unless she just wanted some attention from the press.”  
Ellie processed the new information and thought about it.

“Have you gone to the sight of the disappearance yet?”

“Went there as soon as we finished up the interview,” Nick replied. “Nothing but a circle of dead grass where Yore claimed the disappearance happened. Which certainly helps her case, but a bunch of burned up grass doesn’t exactly give me much of a lead. Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got.”

“Huh,” was all Ellie could say. She flipped through the file’s pages one more time because closing it and slapping it down on Nick’s desk. He gave her a questioning look.

“Interesting as it is, you need to take a break. Go outside and get some fresh air or something.”

Nick looked at the clock and raised a skeptical eyebrow at his partner.  
“At 12 in the morning? You want me to get mugged?”

Ellie smirked at him. 

“Of course not. But there’s guards in every crack and crevice all over the city, and it’s not like you’re gonna run into anyone anyway. You’re the only one in Diamond City awake at this hour. You’ll be fine.”

Nick let out a sigh.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Quick nighttime walk couldn’t do me much harm.”

He stood up and started for the door, already clad in hat and overcoat. Once he reached it he turned to look back at Ellie.

“I appreciate your input on the case. It always helps to get a fresh perspective on these things.”

Ellie smiled.

“Always happy to help, Nick.”

With that, Nick turned and walked through the door out into the cool night air. He inhaled it deeply; he never realized quite how stuffy the agency got from his cigarette smoke until he walked outside and was momentarily shocked by the crisp, clean air. 

Speaking of cigarettes…

He took yet another out of his pocket and lit it. He knew smoking was a bad habit—Ellie had voiced her disapproval of it more times than he could count. True, it polluted the air in their home and it was somewhat of an expensive habit, but it wasn’t doing any real damage. Smoking couldn’t damage his lungs because he had none. And besides, smoking helped him think. It got the gears turning in his mind whenever he was stuck on a problem. It had  
helped him solve countless cases over the years.

By that logic, he mused, it may be a filthy habit, but it sure has saved a lot of lives. And that, he figured, made it justifiable. He put the cigarette to his lips and puffed the smoke out contentedly, then began to walk towards the center of Diamond City with the intention of buying a quick midnight snack. Just because he didn’t have to eat didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it, and nothing sounded better to him at the moment than a bowl of the Commonwealth’s best overpriced noodles.

As Nick wandered slowly through the maze of steel buildings, he couldn’t help but admire them. Even at night, the mass of neon signs and the occasional robot selling supplies gave off a certain feel of…industriousness. Productivity. Nick loved that feeling. Diamond City always felt busy and bustling, and every job, every person seemed essential to the continuity of the rotation of the city’s gears; its life force. Nick thought that the “Great Green Jewel” of the Commonwealth was an apt nickname. He had heard the occasional drifting ghoul remark that the place was a dump compared to the cities of pre-war times, and he while he didn’t exactly believe they were lying, he couldn’t imagine a place that much better than Diamond City. At the very least, those ghouls had to be exaggerating the glory and grandeur of those past cities.

Not to mention Diamond City was the only place in the Commonwealth Nick had found so far where people were at least tolerant of what he was—a synth. Saying they were accepting seemed like a bit of an overstatement, but he would certainly take tolerance over having a gun pulled on him at first glance. Not that he had automatically been given the people’s respect, oh no. He had earned it. Through his own blood, sweat, and tears, one case at a time. With each mystery solved and every missing person found came a morsel of empathy from the inhabitants of Diamond City, until finally he reached the point he was at now—the city’s well-liked and highly admired synth detective. He wore that reputation like a badge of honor because he was proud of it. It was his, and it was the rewarding result of years of hard work.

Nick was startled out of his reverie for the second time that night by Percy, the Mister Handy bot manning Diamond City Surplus, calling to him. 

“Excuse me, sir! Why don’t you come have a look at our wares? We’re having a sale on brooms. Oh no, wait. My programming is telling me we never have sales. Maybe you should buy something else.”

Nick chuckled a bit at that, but ignored the bot and continued on his way until he reached the noodle stand. He routinely answered ‘yes’ to the jumble of words Takahashi recited to him, and was promptly served a piping hot bowl of noodles. As he sat enjoying them, however, his deep-seeded detective instincts took over and he began to eavesdrop on the first conversation he heard, which happened to be between two close-by guards somewhere behind him.

“…mean she was like, frozen? For two-hundred years? Is that even possible?”

A gruff voice answered the question. “That’s what the report said. Hell if I know how it works, but if it’s true, it’s pretty damn neat. She’s the only known pre-war survivor that’s still completely human, although she claims she’s got a son that was kidnapped from the vault. It’s this big mystery to everyone. She’s been running around trying to find the kid, but she’s got no idea who took him or why.”

Nick’s ears had perked up at the word ‘mystery’ and he began to listen more intently. The first guard picked the conversation back up.

“Well, it had to have been the Institute. They’ve been outta control lately, nabbing people from right under our noses. Who else would break into a vault just to kidnap a baby?”

The gruff guard sniffed. “Yeah, that’s the general opinion on it. Problem is, there’s no proof that the Institute had anything to do with it.”

“Of course there isn’t!” The first guard’s voice raised a little with frustration. “When is there ever any proof? They take whoever they want, whenever they want and we can’t do a damn thing about it because they never leave any evidence!”

The gruff guard shushed him. “Calm down, Hank, you’ll wake up the entire neighborhood.” In a slightly quieter voice, he added, “Plus, you never know if some dirty synth’s listnin’ in on these conversations. Best to stay cautious.” 

Nick was a bit perturbed at that last comment, but the men’s conversation intrigued him. He thought about the case lying unfinished on his desk, and decided that perhaps taking on an easier one might clear his mind a bit. Or at least enough to find a lead on his current case. He fished forty bottle caps out of his pocket and looked at the robot. “Great meal as usual, Takahashi. Thanks.” Takahashi tilted his head and replied, “Sumimasen?”

“Oh, right. Uh, arigatou,” Nick corrected himself, and left to flag down the two guards, who were walking out of the area.

He caught up to them within a few seconds and began, “Excuse me gentlemen, but just now, were you talking about a—“

The guards had turned to look at him. They contrasted each other in almost every way, Nick noticed. The man who owned the gruff voice was very large and sturdy, with a bald head and a bushy mustache, and Nick recognized him as one of the guards who occasionally dropped a case file off on his desk. Friendly guy. Nick dimly remembered sharing a few amiable conversations with the man. His partner—Hank--, on the other hand, did not look quite so friendly on account of the gun he had whipped out upon seeing Nick. He was a very slim man, with a frame that lacked muscle and a face that lacked age. Everything about him screamed rookie.

“Stay back!” He yelled. Nick noticed a slight trembling in his voice. “I—I’m warning you, if you move an inch I’ll shoot!”

Nick slowly put his hands up and stayed obediently still, but shot Hank a look of annoyance. “Careful,” he deadpanned. “If you scare a synth too badly, we self-destruct.”

“Wh—“ The young guard looked to the gruff one for help, gun still pointed at Nick.

The gruff guard had been too shocked to react for a few moments, but quickly came to his senses. “Hank, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Put down the gun!”

Hank looked so baffled and helpless that Nick almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“But—But he’s a synth! Look at him! What if he tries to kill us?”

Nick lowered his hands and raised a brow. 

“I’ll have you know, not all synths are ruthless killing machines. I had no intention of harming you, although that’s changing pretty quickly.”

At that, the gruff man let out a laugh. Nick and Hank both turned to look at him.

“Mr. Valentine, you’re exactly like I remember. I’m glad.”

Hank looked even more confused, if that were possible.

“You…You know the synth?”

“The synth has a name, bucko,” Nick commented evenly.

Hank finally lowered his gun, but kept his gaze on Nick, ready to pull it back out the moment Nick made a move.

The gruff guard’s merry laugh broke the tense moment of silence as he moved to lay a beefy hand on Nick’s shoulder. 

“Hank, it’s time you meet the best detective in the Commonwealth. Allow me to introduce you to the one and only Nick Valentine.”

Hank just stared, mouth slightly agape, looking back and forth between the older guard and Nick.

“Nick,” the gruff man continued happily, “This is our newest recruit, Hank.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked a little sheepish. “I’m uh, sorry you two got off on the wrong foot there.” The wide smile returned. “But hey, no harm done, right?”

Nick shot Hank a subtle glare, unnoticed by the bigger guard. Hank gulped. 

“Right,” Nick agreed.

“Anyway,” the gruff guard resumed. “Somethin’ I can do for ya, Nick?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Nick remembered his purpose for coming to talk to the guards and finally tore his gaze from Hank to the big guard, dropping all the malice in his stance. “Thought I heard the two of you talkin’ about a kidnapping a couple minutes ago, and I wanted a few more details on it. Business’s been a little slow recently and it sounds like just my cup of tea.”

“Oh, yeah! It’s a pretty crazy story. Some lady—Wendy, I think her name was—and her husband and baby were cryogenically frozen in a vault right before the war. Two hundred years ago. Sometime while she was frozen, a couple of schmucks break into the vault, shoot the husband dead, kidnap the kid. Apparently, she just escaped the vault a few days ago, found a few guards, and told ‘em what happened. Story’s spreading through the Commonwealth like a wildfire. She’s deadset on finding her kid, but…” His face fell. “From what I hear, there’s not too good of a chance of finding him alive. But, she’s trying her damnedest anyways.”

Nick took in all the information. This definitely sounded like his cup of tea. His interest was piqued. 

“Any idea where she was last seen?”

“Last I heard, she’s cooped up in Sanctuary Hills. Apparently she lived over there before the war. Some of the settlers there let her set up camp in her old place. I’m not sure if she’s still there or not.”

Nick nodded. 

“Interesting. Thanks for all the info. I think I’ll start to head over there soon as the sun comes up. I’ll let you know if I find anything worth noting.”

The gruff guard smiled again. “No problem, buddy. Good luck. I’m glad I got to talk to ya again, it’s been a pretty long while.

Nick returned the smile. “Good to see you, too.” He turned to look at Hank, who still looked a little dumbfounded, though mostly recovered. “Pleasure to meet you, sir,” Nick said to him, then turned on his heel to go home and pack his things. The venom in his voice went unnoticed by the big guard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not gonna lie. I was expecting, like, 2 kudos and maybe a sympathetic "good effort" comment on this story. I'm absolutely blown away by you guys' response, and I haven't stopped smiling like an idiot since I posted the first chapter last week. The kudos, and the comments especially, mean the world to me. More importantly, they motivated me to actually continue the story. So a BIG huge thanks to all of you. We're on chapter two and I already love you guys.
> 
> This chapter is ridiculously short and has no fluff, sorry about that. BUT there is some action, and it's the second of the two-part introduction. Not to mention, the Sole will make a teeny appearance in this one. So basically, it's just here to get the ball rolling. After this, the romancey cheesy stuff will pick up, I promise. So, without further ado, I present chapter two :D
> 
> (Random side note: I know absolutely nothing about guns, so if I use the complete wrong terminology regarding them, that's my bad. Gun enthusiasts, please forgive me. Feel free to correct me if it makes you feel better).

Chapter 2

It was easy to forget just how large the Commonwealth actually was—until one had to journey across it. Nick sighed as he stopped to reposition the bag on his shoulder for the umpteenth time, adjusted his coat a bit, and continued trudging through the streets of whatever city he was currently in. He’d stopped keeping track of his exact location about five hours into the trek, reasoning that so long as he was headed in the right direction, the names of areas on the way didn’t matter much.

Ellie hadn’t put up much of a protest to his leaving once he’d explained the new case to her. In fact, she was almost as eager to dig deeper into it as he was. A cryogenically frozen human was interesting enough, but a missing person and a murder to go along with it? Nick smiled. It may as well have been Christmas. He began to review the facts of the case in his mind, already beginning to conjure endless lists of subjects and theories. His pace picked up a bit, and the fresh wave of determination made his trip across the Commonwealth seem considerably less daunting. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but Sanctuary Hills couldn’t be too much further away.

Eventually, however, Nick found his legs growing more tired than he thought possible, and at 11 p.m. he decided to call it a day and pick up where he left off in the morning. Not that he needed to sleep, of course, but if the screech of protesting metal that came with each step was any indication, his rusty joints could use a break. After a few more minutes of walking, Nick spotted an abandoned warehouse and decided to set up camp there. 

The inside of the place wasn’t exactly cozy, but Nick supposed it could have been worse. He clicked on a flashlight, went into the first little room he saw, and set down his things. He let out a grunt as he sat down against the wall, then pulled out a screwdriver and some oil and got to work fixing a loose screw in his wrist.

He hadn’t been sitting for longer than a few minutes when he adjusted one leg and accidentally kicked the rickety desk in front of him, knocking its contents to the ground with a deafening BANG. What had been on the desk that made such a loud noise, Nick didn’t have time to wonder because as soon as it fell, he heard a deep, disgruntled voice yell, “What the fuck was that?”

Nick’s eyes widened. He had heard that type of voice countless times before, and there was no mistaking it; he had wandered into a den full of raiders. He scrambled to his bag to retrieve the only protection he’d brought with him—a 10mm pistol—and cautiously peered around the doorframe.

Sure enough, five raiders stood in the large room outside, armed and frantically searching the room for the intruder one of them had heard. A fleeting gratitude that they were about as perceptive as they were intelligent sped through Nick’s mind. He stepped back inside the safety of his small room and considered his options. He could try to make a break for it. 

'But,' Nick considered, 'the exit is straight through that room. There’s a good chance I’ll be full of bullet holes before I even get to the door.' His only other option was to shoot up the place and hope for the best. Nick grimaced. While he was certainly experienced in combat, he preferred to keep his causality count low. Killing was a messy business, even when it came to raiders. Between his two choices, though, Nick knew that the latter was far more likely to leave him alive. He loaded and cocked his pistol, took a deep breath, aimed carefully at the nearest raider’s head, and—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three raiders fell dead—except Nick hadn’t fired his gun yet. He lowered his pistol and glanced around the large room in confusion, but couldn’t see anything that might have been the source of the bullets. 

'Malfunctioning turret, maybe?'

A shouted curse from one of the two remaining raiders broke Nick’s daze, and he quickly took aim at the closest raider once again. This time, however, there were no interruptions to delay his bullet as he released it from its chamber and watched it enter the raider’s head on one side and leave out the other, leaving a messy explosion of blood in its wake. The final raider spun around just in time to see his companion’s body fall to the ground, and an expression of horror came over his face. His shock only lasted a moment, though, and in the next second he was sprinting for the exit. Nick knelt down, pursed his lips, and took aim once more. 

“Oh, no. You’re not getting off that easy.”

He pulled the trigger and watched and the man’s body suddenly halted its quick steps and fell to the floor in a horribly contorted pose. 

Nick took a deep breath and stood up, wiping his brow. He began making his way to the nearest corpse to sort through any useful supplies left on it, grinning triumphantly when he found several rounds of ammo.

“No use in letting these go to waste,” he muttered as he shoved them in his bag and continued on to the next body. His steps halted when he heard yet another gunshot, and before he knew what had happened, Nick’s hat was blown clean off his head. He dove behind the nearest barrier, a large set of shelves, and looked around the room, only to see no signs of movement. After about a minute of silence, he heard a voice call out, “Come out! I know you’re in here somewhere!” Nick raised his eyebrows. That was definitely a woman’s voice, which was reassuring, seeing as all the raiders had been men. She sounded as though she was trying (and miserably failing) to fake bravado, but a slight tremor in her voice betrayed her bold acting. Nick considered this, and resolved that revealing himself would be the best course of action. A terrified woman with a gun? Potentially dangerous, sure. But he’d handled situations similar to this one dozens of times, and modestly considered himself a pro at this by now. 

He stood up slowly from behind the shelves, cautiously setting down his gun and putting his hands up in a gesture of peace. “Look, I think this is a misunderstanding. I’m not with thes—“

His words were cut short as the woman spun around and, at a speed even Nick was impressed by, put a bullet straight through his good arm, just above his wrist.

“Agh!” Nick sunk back down behind the shelves and clenched his teeth, holding his wounded arm. “God damn it!” He tried to put pressure on it with his other hand, but became even more frantic as he watched the circuitry inside his arm begin to flash and spark. Seconds later, the edges of his vision started to become blurry and black, sending him into a full panic. He surveyed the shelves around him desperately for a stimpack, blood packs, anything to help the wound, but to no avail.

The sound of footsteps quickly getting louder reminded Nick that his adversary was rapidly approaching to finish him off. He glanced at the floor and spotted his gun a few feet away, clenched his teeth and moved to grasp at it. Just as he reached it, however, the gun was swiftly kicked across the floor, hopelessly out of his reach. He looked up in surprise just in time to see the woman, and more importantly, the wrench in her hand flying towards his head at an alarming speed. Nick had no time to react before it made contact with his temple, and the room went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even BEGIN to describe how happy I've been seeing the kudos and comments on this story. If I could, I would give every single one of you an uncomfortably long but very meaningful and VERY squeezy hug. It seriously means so much to me, and I appreciate the crap out of you all.
> 
> So, Chapter 3! This chapter was kind of a jerk. I rewrote it about 3 times in the wee hours of the night, and I'm still not COMPLETELY satisfied with it, but I think this final attempt came out alright. So hopefully you all enjoy it :)
> 
> P.S. A majority of this was done around 3-4 a.m. so I apologize if there are more typos than usual or if there's just incoherent rambling I somehow missed. You know how it is when you get sleepy and lose your mind.

Chapter 3

Synths, regardless of the model, generation, or settings, were physically incapable of getting drunk. Nick had always figured the Institute hadn’t found that particular ability important enough to instill in the software of their precious bots. Although it was a little strange that they left out that detail; to really, seamlessly blend in with humans, shouldn’t a synth be able to go to a bar or a party and get a little tipsy every once in a while? It was a small flaw, but one that shouldn’t have been overlooked, in Nick’s opinion.

Not that he felt he was missing out on anything. 

The more he watched people get hopelessly drunk, the less he felt that he was being excluded from anything worthwhile. Sure, every now and again a drink might have helped to take the edge off an awkward situation, but as far as getting hammered went, the costs seemed to far outweigh the benefits. One short night of fun, for what? Awkward one night stands, hazy memories of average parties, and worst of all, the inevitable hangovers that apparently tortured their victim for hours on end, and had no real cure with the exception of time. Nick had heard all about them—throbbing headaches, body parts sorely aching, all lights too bright, all noises too loud…

No, Nick was certain he wasn’t missing out on anything. He had no desire to experience that pain, and was satisfied in knowing he never would. 

Which made him all the more bitter when he did.

Once he regained consciousness, Nick laid unmoving where he was, trying to recall what had happened and keeping his eyes shut. Even from behind his closed lids, the light around him seemed blinding and relentless. But that certainly wasn’t the worst of his pain. With every turn of his gears, a searing pain shot through his good arm and his skull. His arm seemed to beat with an almost pulse-like rhythm, staying in sync with some sort of twisted melody of his agony. And his head—it felt like a dull knife was being repetitively pushed in and out of it by someone with no sense of mercy or a conscience. Nick tried to put his hands over his eyes as a shield from the light, but quickly found that moving his injured arm made it much, much worse. A new pain, sharper than before, coursed through it, and Nick let out an involuntary hiss of pain, which, to his surprise, was answered by a quiet gasp that sounded to be a few feet away. Seconds later, he heard hesitant footsteps approaching him, followed by a cautious but curious voice.

“Mister Valentine? Are you… Are you awake?”

Nick cringed internally. He immediately recognized the voice as the one that belonged to that insane woman who’d put him in his current condition. He really, really wasn’t in the mood to have a friendly chat with her. In fact, he was in more a mood to grab the nearest weapon and return the favor. But Nick begrudgingly accepted that she was likely his only hope for healing his wounds anytime soon, so driven more by his agony than anything else, he mustered up all his strength and channeled it into a crucial few words.

“I don’t know what the hell you did, but I need a stimpack ASAP.”

There was a short silence before Nick heard her apologetic reply.

“Yeah, I—we’re sort of waiting on those. There aren’t a lot of medical supplies around here, so we had to send some guys out to get what we need to treat you properly.”

Nick’s brow furrowed. He took in a breath and prepared himself to speak again.

“Hold on—you just shot me and bashed my head in with a wrench, and now you’re trying to fix me up? I don’t know how long I’ve been out, but last I knew, people tended to kill their targets, not play doctor on them.”

“I know. I kind of… made a mistake. It wasn’t…” She trailed off and considered her choice of words. “I didn’t actually mean to shoot you. I didn’t know who you were, and in a den full of raiders, it seemed pretty logical to assume you didn’t have good intentions.”

“Well for a start, the fact that I said ‘I’m not with these raiders’ might’ve tipped you off,” Nick huffed bitterly.

“What? You never said that.”

“Oh, my mistake. You’re right. I never got to finish the sentence because I was interrupted by a damn bullet in my arm!”

She started to sound more defensive. “How was I supposed to know that you just happened to be the one good guy in a warehouse full of murderers? What were you even doing in there by yourself?”

Nick’s temper began to flare in return. She just shot him, and she had the gall to sit here and argue about where the blame lies? He cracked open one eye and tried to glared at her through the burning bright sunlight, but his vision was hopelessly blurred. “I could ask you the same question.”

“I was looking for--!” She stopped, sighed, and raked a hand through her hair. “Okay, this isn’t starting off how I’d intended. Let me introduce myself. My name is Wendy Riley. Long story short, I’ve been cryogenically frozen in a vault for the last two hundred years, and I escaped a few days ago. My son, Shaun, was kidnapped from the vault, and from what I’ve heard, there’s a reason your work as a detective has such a strong reputation. So I want you to help me get him back.”

Nick opened his other eye and simply stared at her in astonishment for a long moment, then a low but amused chuckle escaped him, prompted by disbelief more than anything. Of course this was the woman he’d been searching for. It was just his luck that of everyone in the Commonwealth, his own client would be the one to shoot him. A wry, crooked grin grew on his face, and Nick, with effort, propped himself up on his mechanical arm to look at Wendy better. 

“Hell of a first impression you made, but lucky for you, your case caught my interest as soon as I heard about it. So, I’d be happy to take it. I think it could prove to be real interesting.”

A look of relief washed over Wendy’s face, and she smiled at Nick. “Mister Valentine, you have no idea how much this means to me. I don’t have a lot of caps or valuables, but I’ll find some way to repay you when this is all over. I promise.” She stopped and rubbed the back of her neck, looking a little sheepish. “And… I really am sorry I shot you. It was an honest mistake.” A cheery note of optimism crept into her voice. “But we’ll have you fixed up in no time, I swear. As soon as the team gets back with the medical stuff, you’ll be good as new.”

Nick almost came back with a sarcastic quip, but decided against it. If she was going to be sticking IVs and stimpacks into him in the near future, Nick figured it wasn’t in his best interest to make her angry.

“Care to elaborate on who the team is? Or anything, really?” he asked instead. It occurred to him that he still had no idea where he was or how long he’d been out, and his eyes were still unadjusted to the light so that his surroundings were nothing more than blurs and splotches of color.

“Oh, right. I guess you’re probably pretty confused about all this. The team is a group called the Minutemen, led by Preston Garvey. It’s made up of 5 or 6 people, and from what I’ve heard, I think they’re something like Commonwealth patrol. I haven’t been with them long, so I’m not sure exactly what they’re watching out for, but you get the idea.”

Nick had heard of the Minutemen, though if rumors were true, they hadn’t been relevant or even a little bit effective for years. They were an inspirationally ambitious group, but ambition didn’t matter without supplies, support, or a decent number of members, and as a result, the group had fizzled out decades ago. Where they had once briefly been the talk of the Commonwealth, they were now only occasionally brought up in nostalgic conversations by those old enough to remember them in their prime.

Nick was broken out of his reverie when Wendy picked up her explanation again.

“Anyway, right now we’re in Sanctuary Hills. It was the first place I stumbled upon that wasn’t totally abandoned, and Preston and the rest of the Minutemen were all holed up here, and for some reason they were kind enough to let me stay. When I told Preston about what happened in the vault, he told me about this supposedly phenomenal detective down in Diamond City that might be able to help me. So I set out to find you and see if you’d help my cause.” She let out a nervous laugh. “Guess I found you.”

Nick nodded. “Well, as soon as you’ve patched me up, we’ve got a hell of a lot to talk about.” 

Wendy opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a man’s voice calling from a few dozen feet away. “He ain’t dead yet, is he? We got some stimpacks!”

“That’s perfect!” she yelled back. Nick was gradually getting slightly more tolerant of the pain, but her loud voice made his head pound. “Bring them here!”

Nick watched the man as he approached the garage. He was tall and well built, with black hair piled high up on his head and sideburns that were almost comically prominent. He wore a grin for seemingly no reason and spoke with a heavy country accent and, most importantly, he carried a large, overstuffed medical kit under one arm. He crouched down   
next to Nick and whistled.

“You’re in pretty bad shape, buddy.” He looked at Wendy. “He been awake for long?”

She shook her head. “Ten minutes, maybe.”

The man nodded. “Alright, then I don’t have to feel too bad about takin’ so long getting the medical supplies.”

Wendy sat down on the ground next to the man. “You leave the rest of the team behind or something? I don’t see anyone else.”

The man pulled a stimpack out of his kit and flicked the needle as he talked. “Nah, they shouldn’t be too far behind. Preston said something about going to talk to some close by settlers that need help, and to go on ahead. I guess everyone else stayed back with him.” He plunged the stimpack firmly into Nick’s wrist, just below the gunshot wound, and removed it after a few seconds. “Alright, that oughta take care of the pain in your arm.” He then took out a roll of gauze. “Patch that up, would ya Wendy? I gotta go check on somethin’.”

“’Course.”

The man got up and started towards another house down the street, and Wendy started to gingerly wrap the bandage around Nick’s arm. They sat quietly for a few minutes as he watched her work in a sort of trance and allowed his eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Eventually he broke the silence with a question.

“Who was that?”

“That’s Sturges,” Wendy answered. “He takes care of all the weapons and armor around here. Nice guy, and an absolute genius when it comes to technology and guns.”

“Hm.” Nick nodded once, and the two fell back into a comfortable silence until she was satisfied with her job of mending him, and she patted his arm. “Better?”

“Much,” Nick replied, relieved as he felt the effects of the stimpack melt his pain away. “Thanks.”

He moved to prop himself up against the wall behind him, pulled a pen and a small notepad out of a pocket on his coat, and poised his pen to write, then looked up at Wendy with a small grin from under the brim of his fedora.

“Now, tell me exactly what happened. From the start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my man Preston, who gets stuck behind my furniture in Sanctuary then when I go to check on him, ambushes me with a dozen more settlements that need help. He's the man.
> 
> See you guys soon for Chapter 4! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I don't have much to say this time, except thank you all once again for the kudos and comments. It still makes my day every time I see that someone leaves them on this story, so keep 'em coming! ;D Anyway, here's Chapter 4. I had fun writing it and I hope you guys have fun reading it. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

And so the next several hours of Nick’s day were spent bombarding Wendy with questions inside one of the many ramshackle homes of Sanctuary Hills. After the short disturbance caused by his injury, Nick fell easily and happily back into his routine as an investigator, finding a suitable table and chairs in the rickety house to temporarily replace his usual desk and computer chair back in Diamond City. He even lit a cigarette to really complete the familiar ambience. Just like the Agency, really—if the agency was in a dilapidated house and an over encumbered Brahmin strolled through instead of Ellie. But Nick felt somewhat at home nonetheless, especially with pen and paper in hand, and a line of questions reeling through his mind.

Wendy sat across from him, looking tired but determined, and almost, if not equally, as eager as Nick was to begin investigating the case of her missing son. In this setting, and with his physical and mental health intact again, Nick was finally able to get a good look at her. The first thing he noticed was her figure—she was thin as a rail. Understandably so, seeing as she hadn’t actually moved for 200 years, so her muscles were dramatically thin, but it was still almost painful to look it. Aside from that feature, though, she looked fairly typical. Conventionally attractive, but nothing out of the ordinary; average height; an ambiguous shade of dusty black hair, forced back into a messy ponytail. No older than 30, if Nick had to guess. Her appearance reminded him of Ellie’s, which made it easier for him to find comfort in a shoddy, unfamiliar area like Sanctuary.

The questions Nick presented Wendy with were asked just as much to satiate his own curiosity as they were to help the case. Tragic as it was, her story about the vault, everything leading up to it, and everything that had happened since was captivating, and it held Nick’s interest for as long as she would talk about it. He watched more emotions than he could count pass over her face as she recalled the details of life before the war and of her family, and as she solemnly spoke about witnessing the murder of her beloved husband and the kidnapping of her son. She was compliant and open with him for the most part, but the grief she was doing her best to withhold was evident on her face as she talked.

When Nick finally announced that he was just about through with his line of questioning, the sun had already begun to set, and the melancholy lighting of dusk shone through the cracks and crevices in the decrepit walls and ceilings, filling the home with an eerie yet comforting sepia glow. He decided to finish their interview with a question that he doubted she’d answer favorably.

“Look, I know this is a lot to ask, but…” He stopped, briefly wondering how to phrase his thoughts and not seem too insensitive. Wendy tilted her head in curiosity.

“I need to go check out the vault for myself. Just to see if I can find any evidence or some hint that might point us in the right direction. Now, I understand if you say no, but it’d be pretty helpful to have you there with me.”

Wendy grimaced involuntarily, then looked at the ground. When she didn’t say anything for several seconds, Nick opened his mouth to assure her he understood and dismiss her, but she looked back up at him and answered just before he could.

“If we go back there…” Her voice was quiet, and quivered almost imperceptibly. She cleared her throat and tried again, a little louder and braver this time. “If we go to the vault, are you absolutely sure it’ll help the case? I’ll do anything to get Shaun back, but… I really, really don’t want to revisit it unless I have to.”

Nick nodded. “It won’t be a wasted trip, I can promise you that.” 

She stared down at her hands in her lap and gnawed at her bottom lip in thought. There was a small silence before Nick heard her whisper, “Okay. I’ll go.”

Nick leaned towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled weakly at him.

“We’ll find Shaun,” Nick promised. “It’s only a matter of time. I’m sure he’s out there somewhere.” 

He gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and stood up. “Anyway, it’s about time you get some sleep. We’ll leave for the vault sometime in the morning, and I’d rather not have you falling asleep on the job.”

Wendy stood up and stretched. “No arguments here,” she conceded, as she started heading for the bedroom. “I’m tired as hell.” Nick began to leave as well, but stopped in the door frame when he heard her voice again.

“Mister Valentine?”

He turned around.

“Yes?”

“Do you think…” She glanced downward for a moment, then looked back up and locked eyes with Nick. “Do you think there really is a chance we’re going to find him?”

Nick gave her a dry smile. 

“I’m sure not taking this case to humor you, if that’s what you mean.”

She gave him an amused smile of her own, but it was quickly replaced with a concerned frown.

“I know, it’s just… This whole situation is insane. It doesn’t seem that inconceivable that Shaun isn’t—isn’t dead.” Her voice trembled on the last word. “I mean, all this happened ten years ago. He could be long gone by now, and we’ll have wasted all this time looking fo—“

Nick raised a hand to interrupt. “If I’ve learned anything from years of doing this job, it’s that you can’t give up before you start.” His voice softened. “Right now, I don’t know any more than you do about this whole mess, and much as I’d like to, I can’t guarantee we’ll find him alive. But even if we don’t, I think at the very least, finding out what happened might give ya some closure.”

Her face twisted a bit at that, and Nick felt a pang of sadness and guilt in his chest. But it was the truth. It’d be cruel of him to sugarcoat the situation and get her hopes up before the investigation had even begun. Eventually she mustered up a sad but genuine smile and nodded. “I appreciate the honesty. Thank you. For all of this.”

Nick gave her a small smile in return. “All in a day’s work.” He turned to leave again and waved a hand. “Now, go to bed.”

He walked out into the chilly air—it was late enough now that the sun had set and everyone had cleared off the streets—and began to stroll in no particular direction, occasionally dragging on his cigarette in thought. As he wandered, he observed the remains of the homes lining the street. While the houses seemed to give the residents a feeling of hopefulness and progress, they just filled Nick with a sad wistfulness. Thanks to the memories of the old Nick, he had full knowledge of the grandeur of pre-war homes; state of the art abodes that made these pale in comparison. Nick wasn’t sure if it was his place to miss the old, impressive standards of living, seeing as he had never actually experienced it firsthand, but he was filled with a melancholic nostalgia nonetheless. 

As he glanced among the houses, his thoughts turned to Wendy as he briefly wondered which one had been hers, back when she lived a real, fulfilling life.

‘Well,' Nick considered. Perhaps ‘real’ isn’t the right word’. A lot of adjectives could be used to describe pre-war life, and superficial was definitely one of the more accurate. If Nick appreciated anything in these days that lay in the wake of worldly destruction, it was the fact that most everyone was genuine. When you’re simply trying to survive, there’s no time or energy to waste on impressing your neighbors. Every action and emotion from the inhabitants of the Commonwealth was raw and true. Nick loved that. It allowed him to easily discern the good guys from the bad, and in his line of business, that was an imperative skill.

‘Speaking of bad guys…’

His mind wandered back to the case at hand for the umpteenth time that day as he pondered a list of possible suspects. Though he had learned long ago to make no assumptions, he couldn’t help but put the Institute near the top of his list. As that loathsome young guard in Diamond City had said, who would break into a vault just to kidnap an infant other than the Institute? More than that, who else could break into a vault? The security on those things was top notch, and an ample amount of skill would have been needed to execute a break-in. The Institute was beginning to seem more and more likely to be the culprit.

Nick’s thoughts were interrupted by a small clanging noise from somewhere by his feet. He glanced down to see that the pesky screw in his wrist had fallen out yet again, and resolved to fix it in one of the old houses. He walked into the nearest one, which fortunately appeared to be among the most intact of all of them, made his way to the bedroom, and took a seat on the mattress. After he spent a few minutes tinkering with his wrist, he laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. He couldn’t sleep in the exact same way a human could, but like most machines, he was built with a sleep mode, and he certainly thought he could use it after the events of the day. He removed his coat and hat, got comfortable, and powered down.  
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
Nick was rudely awoken in the morning by loud clanging coming from the kitchen, followed by a frustrated mechanical voice. 

“Pardon me, Mum, but I think this job is best left to those with experience.”

“That’s why I’m trying to get experience, Codsworth!” Came the reply. Nick sat up in bed, recognizing the voice as Wendy’s. She didn’t sound like a morning person. “Hey! Give me back the pan!”

“With all due respect, Mum, your dropping the pan is doing quite a bit of wear and tear on it,” the mechanical voice—Codsworth—replied worriedly. “I cannot work at maximum efficiency with damaged equipment!”

Nick got up and slowly walked down the hallway to peer into the kitchen. He smiled amusedly at what he saw. A Mister Handy bot, who he assumed was Codsworth, hovered cautiously at one end of the remnants of a kitchen counter, using two of his appendages to hug a frying pan to him. Wendy stood at the other end, holding a mop as one would a baseball bat, poised to strike at any moment. Her stance was tense and prepared for action and her expression vicious. 

“Just give me the damn pan! If you show me how to cook it one more time, I know I can get it.”

Codsworth hesitated. “Your… recent attempts show otherwise, Mum.”

Wendy’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. “Oh, you asked for it—“

She ran around one side of the counter with remarkable speed, while Codsworth whirred away, clutching the frying pan for dear life. As she chased him around the room, mop flying haphazardly in all directions, Nick remained in the doorframe. He wanted to intervene for Codsworth’s sake, he really did, but the hilarity of the situation won over his pity enough for him to wait and see who would emerge the winner instead.

After flying around the room in circles and spouting quick apologies for an impressively long time, Codsworth finally whizzed right out the front door. Wendy chased him outside a few feet, but just as quickly gave up and watched him float hurriedly away. Panting a little, she walked back inside and stopped in surprise when she saw a smirking Nick Valentine, leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.

She rubbed the back of her neck and looked sheepish. “…Did you, ah, see all the…?”

Nick’s grin widened. “I can’t imagine that whatever the poor bot did to you warranted all that.”

The embarrassment fell from her face and was replaced by a stubborn defensiveness. “All I asked him to do was teach me how to cook Brahmin! I only messed up a couple times and he went berserk and repossessed my frying pan!”

Nick raised a brow. “If you’ve already got a Mister Handy doing it for you, why do you want to learn to cook in the first place?”

“Well, mostly so that I can eat decent meals on the road. When we’re looking for Shaun, I don’t imagine there’ll be a nice kitchen and Mister Handy bot waiting to serve me on every block. So I figured, hey. If I can learn to cook a few things, all I’ll really need to eat well is a fire and some meat.” She crossed her arms. “Plus, it’ll take some weight off Codsworth’s shoulders. He’s trying to maintain everything in Sanctuary. The least I can do is start making my own meals. I WAS DOING HIM A FAVOR!” She yelled the last sentence leaning halfway out the door in vain hope that Codsworth might hear it.

“What you were doing just then sure didn’t look like a favor.”

“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly then added, “Hey, when’re we leaving for the vault? I need a little advance warning to pack my stuff and say my goodbyes.”

Nick shrugged. “Whenever you’re ready. I don’t exactly have much luggage to pack, so I’m ready when you are.”

She nodded. “Give me half an hour, then we’ll head out.”

And so, half an hour later, the two were waving goodbye to Codsworth and the Minutemen and setting off down the road toward the rising sun, suitcases trailing behind them, guns at their sides, and a case full of potential filling their heads.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. It's been like two and a half months. And I am so, so very sorry from the bottom of my heart. I wasn't able to play Fallout for a REALLY long time so I kind of lost my motivation for this. BUT it's somewhat back now! Hopefully this chapter's pretty good, because it was a big fat struggle.
> 
> And as always, thank you all SO so much for the wonderful comments & kudos. They give me LIFE. Love you guys, and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter 5

The pair walked the short distance to Vault 111 in almost no time, and Wendy accessed the control panel to take them underground. Soon they were slowly descending on the large metal platform Wendy hadn’t used since she’d stood and watched her world burn from it. They stepped off into the Vault and after opening the large security door with her Pip-Boy, Wendy headed inside with Nick in tow. He gave a low whistle from behind her.

“So this was home for the past two centuries, huh? Pretty impressive.”

Wendy swallowed as she observed the familiar, shabby walls and began to see the remnants of her old neighbors’ belongings littering the floors. She shivered as dark memories of arriving in the vault for the first time resurfaced. 

“Yeah, this was it,” she replied shakily. 

She was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder and turned to see Nick looking at her worriedly, concern apparent in his bright eyes. 

“You holding up okay down here? We can head back out for a bit if you need to,” he suggested.

She shook her head weakly and resumed walking. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just hurry and get what we’re looking for. The sooner we’re out of this place, the better.”

Nick grimaced as they turned a corner and he nearly tripped over a skeleton strewn recklessly across the floor. “Couldn’t agree more. If I could get goosebumps, this would be the place to make it happen.”

They continued their walk in silence until after several minutes, they passed the same filthy gas canister for what Nick could’ve sworn to be the fourth time. Just as he opened his mouth to question his companion’s navigation, she cut him off with a flat, “Well, we’re lost.”

Nick chuckled a bit. “I thought so. Tell you what, why don’t we go opposite ways, and one of us should find the Cryo Facility. Then we can just call for the other.”

Wendy nodded. “Good idea. I’ll take this way.” 

She started down a corridor, and Nick set off in the opposite direction. The first few hallways looked identical to him, but after a while he noted with some triumph that he hadn’t passed that damn gas canister so far. More noticeable, however, was the increasing amount of skeletons scattered all over the floors. Nick cringed at the sight of them, eventually resolving to keep his eyes and thoughts elsewhere. He didn’t have time or energy to waste on mourning the victims of an event that happened two centuries ago. He was on a case, after all. He continued diligently on his way and mentally cheered when he finally saw a small sign above a hallway entrance that read ‘Cryogenics Facility.’ 

As he strode toward it, however, he was interrupted by a shrill, terrified scream echoing through the halls. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Nick raced back through the labyrinth, coat flapping heroically in his wake and pistol cocked and loaded in his hand.

“NICK! HELP!” Another shriek followed, and Nick put a hand on his hat to keep it from flying off as he picked up his pace. He finally reached a large, open room the two had previously been in—the one with the overseer’s computer in it—and quickly scanned what was happening from the doorway.

There, cowering in fear on the overseer’s desk, gun drawn and knees shaking violently, was Wendy.

And there, scuttling around aimlessly on the floor, was quite possibly the most harmless looking radroach Nick had ever seen.

Nick stared in surprise for a few seconds, then took a step further into the room and effortlessly put a bullet straight through the offending roach’s head.

“That was the big emergency?”

Wendy’s head whipped around to look at him in alarm, and her gun followed in suit. Nick put his hands up in mock surrender, though he was a little cautious after his previous unfortunate experience with her shooting.

“What, shooting me once wasn’t enough for ya?”

Her wide, terrified eyes receded back to their normal size, and her rapid breathing began to resume its regular pace. She lowered her gun and looked warily at the radroach. 

“I couldn’t kill it and it was coming at me really fast. I didn’t know what to do.”

Nick raised a brow. “You can’t kill a radroach? You shot me from across a warehouse two days ago. I don’t think your abilities with firearms are exactly lacking.”

”That was different. You weren’t expecting it, so you weren’t moving. I know how to shoot a gun, but aiming at things that’re trying to kill me is a whole ‘nother game.”

Nick gave her a look of equal amusement and annoyance and deadpanned, “In that case, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to let you get some target practice on the next one.”

He returned his gun to its place in his coat and cocked his head towards in corridor in a ‘this way’ motion.

“I think I was just about to the room when you had your, uh… crisis. It’s down this hall.”

He led the way back through the now familiar maze, past the littered skeletons and finally arrived at a door with a sign marked ‘Cryogenics Facility.’ They stood and looked dumbly at the closed door for a short moment until Nick broke the silence.

“You alright to go in there, or would you rather stand guard at the door?” he asked gently.

Wendy pressed her lips together and drew in a deep breath. “Go in,” she replied quietly, but firmly. “I don’t want to come back here. Ever. So if this is my last visit…” She clenched her fists. “I think I should see him again. One last time.”

Nick nodded. “Alright then.” He tried the door handle and grunted with annoyance when it didn’t budge. He spread his feet and braced himself, then rammed a shoulder into the door. It slowly swung open with an eerie, protesting creeeaaak, and Nick pushed it all the way open and stepped back with satisfaction. “After you,” he offered as he politely stuck out an arm in the direction of the room, then followed her in.

Nick Valentine, both the human and the synth, had seen more disturbing scenes than most people saw in a lifetime. While he had learned to stomach these types of scenes long ago, he had never quite been able to master managing the psychological side of things. The gore and tragedy of his past cases disconcerted him more than he cared to admit, and typically, the images he saw haunted him for months, even years to come. The moment he entered the cryo room, he knew this place would become one of those unforgettable horrors marring his memory far into his future.

His eyes widened a little and his lip curled as he looked slowly around in disgust at the perfectly preserved frozen corpses lining the walls inside their pods. Their expressions were peaceful, but somehow that made the entire image seem even ghastlier, as if their faces forever conveyed the fact that they had no idea what the outcome of Vault-Tec’s twisted experiment would actually be. In front of him, Wendy seemed to have the same reaction, if a little more extreme, and whispered, “Oh, God.” She put a hand over her mouth and continued making her way slowly towards the pod that contained her beloved husband. Once she found it, Nick could tell in a glance she was struggling desperately not to break down then and there.

“I can get out of here, if you want. Give you some privacy.”

She shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on her husband. “No, don’t.” She shifted her gaze to Nick for a moment and added, “Don’t leave. I don’t want to be in here alone.”

He nodded. “Take your time, then.” With that, Nick pulled out a small fingerprint dusting case and a magnifying glass and set to work, carefully observing each of the pods for any remnants or evidence of the murderers being there. He worked diligently and moved from pod to pod, but his hopes were quickly dwindling as he failed to find a single lead. After several minutes, Nate’s pod was the only one left to inspect. He approached it and held up the magnifying glass.

“May I?”

Wendy swallowed and nodded, taking a step back from the pod. Nick got to work, kneeling down and pulling out all sorts of intricate gadgets Wendy had never seen. The two stayed silent for several minutes as he worked, until Nick broke the silence with an excited, “Aha!” Wendy perked up a little.

“You found something?”

Nick stood up and grinned triumphantly, then tapped his fingerprint dusting case. “As it happens, I found exactly what we needed—fingerprints.”

Her eyes grew wide with disbelief. “Wait, really? That’s great!”

Nick nodded. “We’ll take these back to Diamond City to be tested, and we should have a strong lead in no time.” He began putting his things away and shouldered his bag. “Now, let’s blow this joint. This place gives me the creeps.”

He headed for the exit until he realized Wendy wasn’t behind him, and turned to see her with a hand pressed against the glass of the pod that held Nate, staring inside it with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. He felt a pang of pity in his chest and waited patiently until she finished her final goodbye, and the two began making their way back through the network of halls.

As they walked, Nick heard a small scuttling noise echoing through the corridors and turned to grin at Wendy.

“How would you feel about taking on your first radroach?”

She stiffened a bit in fear and replied with a nervous, “Mister Valentine, I can’t.” Nick pulled his pistol from his coat once again and put it in her hands.

“Relax, I’ll show you how it’s done. You’ll be a pro in no time.”

She fumbled a bit with the gun in her shaking hands, but managed to cock it. They rounded a corner and the aforementioned radroach waited menacingly on the opposite end of the hall like it was preparing for an old fashioned duel. Nick had to admit, this one was actually pretty big and threatening. He felt a little bad, but hey. Experience makes the best teacher, right?

Wendy held up the gun frantically and certainly tried her best, but ‘aiming’ would be a generous word to describe her technique. She shot a terribly miscalculated bullet down the hall and it struck the wall about three feet above the radroach, who was now alarmed and scuttling more quickly.

“Mr. Valentine!” She was beginning to panic. “Alright, alright,” Nick answered leisurely. “Let’s see if we can’t improve your technique a bit here.”

He approached her from behind and placed his arms alongside hers, lining her aim up correctly. He covered her hands with his and adjusted them on the gun, quietly muttering, “There. Like that,” from his place on her shoulder. After a few seconds he was satisfied with the adjustments, and took a step back.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

She fired another shot, this one hitting the roach directly in the head. Blood and guts exploded from it on impact, painting the wall and floor around it with red. Wendy let out an enthusiastic squeak and lowered the gun, then turned to look at Nick with a smile that spanned the entire width of her face.

“Did you see that? It exploded!”

Nick returned her smile with a lopsided smirk.

“Told you you’ve got a knack for guns. Keep practicing and pretty soon you’ll be able to take down a Deathclaw with no hassle.”

She raised a brow. “Deathclaw? That sounds… unpleasant.”

Nick smiled wryly. “Well, they’re certainly no picnic. But odds are we won’t be running into one anytime soon.” 

She made a ‘hm’ sound, before looking down and realizing she still held his gun. 

“Oh, you probably want this back, don’t you?”

Nick held up a hand in refusal.

“Nah, I think you have a better time with it than I do. Keep it for now.”

Her face-dominating grin returned and her features lit up like a kid on Christmas.

“Fair point, Mister Valentine. Thanks.”

He grinned back at her and resumed his path to the exit and she followed in his wake, enthusiastically putting far too many bullets in every radroach that had the misfortune to cross her path.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“…This is the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth?” Wendy scratched the back of her head, and muttered, “Maybe things’re worse than I thought.”

“This is the Great Green Wall,” Nick corrected her. The two stood facing the towering wall with impatience as Nick waited for someone to respond on the intercom to let them inside. “It’s Diamond City’s first line of defense, for keeping out anything that shouldn’t be in there. Considering I’m a resident and I can’t even get in, I’d say it works pretty well.”

Wendy grunted in agreement, and readjusted her heavy bags on her shoulder. “Should we try the intercom again? We’ve been waiting for five minutes. Someone should be on it by now.”

Nick shrugged and gestured to the intercom. “Be my guest.”

Wendy started for it, but was interrupted by a pretty, smiling young woman approaching them seemingly out of nowhere. She walked straight past Wendy and up to Nick, crushing him in a bear hug so tight Nick was sure his lungs would have exploded if he had any.

“Nicky Valentine!” the woman exclaimed. “Glad to see you’re safe!” She pulled back from the hug, keeping her hands tightly gripped on Nick’s arms. “You just suddenly disappeared and then you were gone for a while. I was starting to get worried! Thinkin’ maybe the Institute had come back to reclaim ya.”

Nick flashed her a good-humored smirk. “Good to see you too, Piper. I doubt the Institute’s gonna be lookin’ to take back this old hunk of junk anytime soon. No need to worry.”

Piper hit him lightly on the arm and chided, “Nicky, quit talking like that. You’re the best hunk of junk Diamond City’s got. Anyway,” she released his arms and turned to look at the wall. “You locked out again?”

“Sure am. We’ve been trying the intercom for a half hour. No luck.”

Piper cracked her knuckles and a devious smile appeared on her face.

“Why don’t I take a crack at it?”

She approached the intercom and yelled, “HEY, DANNY!” so loudly and with so much ferocity that Wendy started a bit. The intercom immediately came to life and a voice blared through.

“Agh! Jesus, Piper, why can’t you just use the intercom like everyone else? You’re gonna shatter my eardrums one of these days.”

“I’ll use the intercom like everyone else as soon as you start doing your job, Danny. Nick Valentine’s been waiting out here for half an hour.”

A scuttling sound filtered through the speaker and Danny sounded alarmed. “Wait, are you serious? Shit. Alright, tell Valentine he can come in right away. But…” Danny hesitated. “I’ve got orders not to let you in, Piper.”

Surprise crossed Piper’s face for a quick second, then settled into anger. “Orders from who? Mayor McDumbass? Come on, Danny, just let me in!”

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job.”

“Ooh, just doing your job!” Mocking hand gestures accompanied her words, but she didn’t seem to care that Danny couldn’t see them himself. “Protecting Diamond City means keepin’ me out, is that it? Oh, look! It’s the scary reporter. Boo!” 

“I’m sorry,” Danny repeated. “Mayor McDonough’s really steamed, Piper. Saying that article you wrote was all lies. The whole city’s in a tizzy.”

As Piper continued to animatedly yell into the intercom, Wendy leaned over to Nick and whispered, “What was the article about?”

“How should I know?” he whispered back. “I was out hunting down your trail for the last week. I’m not too up to date with current events. But usually, when Piper’s involved, things tend to get a little… out of hand.”

The two looked back at Piper, who was screaming “Damn it, Danny!” and seemed even more frustrated than when she’d begun, if that were possible. She balled up her fists and made passionate little punching motions in the air, mumbling unintelligible words to herself—until she turned and her eyes landed on Wendy. The rage in her expression almost completely dissipated and was replaced by mischief. She gestured for Wendy to come closer, then quietly told her, “I have an idea. Play along.”

She leaned in closer to the intercom and began speaking loudly. “What was that? You said you’re a trader up from Quincy? You have enough supplies to keep the General Store stocked for a whole month? Huh. You hear that, Danny? You gonna let us in, or are you gonna be the one talking to crazy Myrna about losing out on all the supply?”

There was a beat of hesitation before Danny answered, “Geez, alright. No need to make it personal, Piper. Gimme a minute.”

As the gate began to rise, Piper smiled and placed a friendly hand on one of Wendy’s shoulders.

“Thanks! I owe you one. Now, we better head inside quick before ol’ Danny catches on to the bluff.”

Wendy nodded, and she and Nick began trailing behind Piper. “Don’t mention it. If you don’t mind me asking, why wouldn’t they let you in exactly?”

Piper huffed a short, frustrated sigh. “Short version? Because the Mayor is a complete airhead and a selfish tyrant who thinks he can do whatever he wants.”

She didn’t say any more, and Wendy didn’t want to provoke her further, so she let the topic drop. Piper stopped just outside the door leading to Diamond City and shook Wendy’s hand vigorously.

“It was good to make your acquaintance. If you ever have the time, I’d love to interview you. I can’t help but notice the Vault Suit and the Pip-Boy, and those aren’t exactly common around here. Stop by the shop when you get the chance, okay?” 

She smiled and nodded her head toward Wendy, then Nick, and made her way into Diamond City.

Wendy started to follow but Nick’s hand found her arm and stopped her. 

“Hold on, she’s got a point. You may want to hide the suit and all that gadgetry. Strangers   
are gonna be asking you about ‘em left and right.”

He shrugged off his coat and handed it to her.

“Here. Wear this, and it’ll at least hide the suit. We can find you a better change of clothes at the agency.”

Wendy let her bags fall to the ground, put on the coat and spun around, admiring it.

“Woah. I feel like a badass in this coat. Can we turn around and go kill some raiders or something instead?”

“Absolutely not,” Nick replied as he shouldered her bags and began to walk. “We came all this way. I’m sure as hell not leaving again before I can see Ellie and test out these fingerprints.”

She raised a brow and followed him. “Ellie? Is that your—oh. Oh, wow.”

The two stood on the entrance platform, looking out into the hustle and bustle of Diamond City. It was still late afternoon, so every shop was crowded with residents looking to strike deals and shopkeepers trying to persuade passersby to come have a look. There was hardly an inch of empty space anywhere, and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get someplace. Wendy hadn’t seen half this many people, much less gathered in the same place, in her time in the Commonwealth. She looked to her left and saw Piper approach a building labeled “Publick Occurences” and affectionately noogie a young girl standing outside it.

“A little more impressed now, huh?” Nick remarked from beside her.

She realized her mouth was hanging open dumbly and snapped her jaw shut, then nodded. “I…This is amazing. I didn’t expect it to be like this at all.”

“It’s a gem, alright,” Nick agreed. “It’s got everything you could even think of wanting, from fancy clothes to the best noodles in the Commonwealth. Now, come on.” 

He took her by the wrist and led them down the platform, skillfully winding through the crowds and giving the occasional person a nod or a quick greeting. Wendy glanced around herself quickly at the people and the shops and tried to take it all in as fast as she could. 

Suddenly, Nick stopped abruptly and Wendy smashed into his back. She glanced around him to see that Nick had accidentally bumped into a young woman and caused her to drop her supplies. The young woman herself, Wendy noted with some apprehension, looked as though she was more than ready to attempt to murder Nick. Her nostrils flared and her little beady eyes had settled on face, brimming with vicious hatred.

“Ah…” Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, Myrna. Didn’t see you there. Here, I’ll—“ he reached down for the bags she had dropped and Myrna slapped his hand away with lightning reflexes and a little too much force, then bent down to pick them up herself.

“What, you think I’m gonna let some dirty synth get his mitts all over my new supplies and ruin them for everyone else? Nice try, buddy. I know you and your games. You’re trying to sabotage my shop!”

Nick rolled his eyes and put his hands up in mock surrender. “Yeah, you caught me. Foiled my plans completely. You know, maybe you should be the city’s private eye.”

She glared up at him from her spot on the ground, and sneered, “I just might. It’s not like anyone would notice if you’re gone. I bet they’d throw a party.”

At that, Nick took an abrasive step forward, clenched his fists, and opened his mouth to defend himself, but then seemed to think better of it and shut it again. He shook his head a little as if shaking off her words, then motioned to Wendy to follow. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s get a move on.” He started to walk and glanced back to realize she hadn’t moved. She stood looking at Myrna with confused shock and disgust marring her features.

Myrna glanced up at her disinterestedly. “Well? Aren’t you gonna follow your trusty piece of junk over there? Scram. People who associate with those things are just as bad as the synths themselves.”

“Wh—“ Wendy seemed at a loss for words. Her brow furrowed and she looked either very confused or very offended, or both. Nick couldn’t quite tell. “What has Mister Valentine ever done to you?”

Myrna stood up, shouldered her bags, and scowled. “’Mister Valentine’ is an abomination, lady. He’s obviously an Institute Spy, and I don’t believe for a second he has any sort of good intentions in this city. Why Mayor McDonough lets him stay here, I don’t know. And you’re no better. Now, scram! I’m not going to tell you again.”

Wendy’s face started to turn a flustered shade of red, but before a comeback left her mouth, she felt Nick’s hand on her back, leading her away. “Come on. She’s not worth it,” he said next to her ear in a low voice. Wendy allowed him to direct her away from Myrna, glancing back at her every few seconds.

“You’re just going to let her treat you like that? She didn’t even have a reason for it!”  
Nick sighed. “She had a reason, just not a good one. There’s some… controversy about me living here, in Diamond City. I’ll explain it to you later. We’ve got more important things to do.”

He led her through a winding alleyway behind the shops until they saw a sign with the bright, radiant words “Valentine Detective Agency” on it. Nick took his hand off her back and strode around the corner. “And here we are.” He unlocked and opened the door, stepping aside for Wendy. 

“After you.”

She entered, and looked around with interest. The first thing she noticed was the mess. Stacks of papers littered every surface in the room, and when tables and desks had been over encumbered, some stacks rested on the floor instead. Manilla folders, case files, books, and various random objects were scattered everywhere. Despite the mess, though, it was a homey place. It felt lived in, which Wendy found to be a considerable comfort. 

“Sorry about the mess,” Nick commented from behind her. “Although, you should know it hasn’t been cleaner than this for a decade.”

“No, I like it,” Wendy offered. “It’s… comfortable. The houses in Sanctuary felt kind of sad and empty. This is way better.”

Nick made an amused sound. “Well, glad ya feel that way. Most people would disagree. Now, where is—“

“Nick!”

Wendy and Nick turned to see a young, happy woman making her way down the stairs. She hugged Nick happily, with much less force than Piper’s hug, and beamed at him.

“It’s so good to see you! We were loaded up with cases while you were gone. I was able to take care of a few, but you’ve got a lot of work to do.” She turned to Wendy, still smiling. “Is this our new client?”

“Yep. Ellie Perkins, Wendy Riley. Wendy, Ellie.”

The two women shook hands and exchanged greetings. Ellie glanced down at Nick’s coat enveloping Wendy.

“I don’t know why you’re wearing that old raggedy coat of his, but I’m sure I can find a better change of clothes for you upstairs. Give me just a second.” She turned to go back upstairs, but before she could take a step she noticed the remaining mangled skin from Nick’s gunshot wound and gasped loudly. “You got shot? Why didn’t you say something as soon as you came in?” She took his arm in her hand and turned it to different angles. “Nick, this looks bad…”

Nick pulled his arm back and gave her a wave of dismissal with it. “Ellie, I’m fine. Really. We got it patched up as soon as it happened. I’m good to go.”

She peered at him skeptically. “You’re not getting off the hook that easily. I’m having a closer look at this as soon as I get those clothes, so don’t you go anywhere.” She retreated upstairs and called, “What happened anyway? It isn’t very often you come back with that big of a battle scar.”

Nick glanced at Wendy, who stiffened and made a ‘don’t tell her’ gesture.

“Uh… raiders,” Nick called back. “Whole den of ‘em. There wasn’t much I could do.”

Ellie made a noise of disapproval. “Ugh, of course. Those darn raiders, why can’t they just mind their own business?” 

“You’re asking me. Would it help if I told you we found a pretty promising lead on the case?”

“Really? That’s great! What’d you find?”

“We got a hold of some fingerprints in the Vault. They need to be tested as soon as possible.”

“Sure, we’ll get right on that.” She returned with a fresh pair of her own clothes—a t-shirt and jeans—and handed them to Wendy. 

“Here you go. These should do much more nicely than that old coat.” She leaned in a bit closer and whispered confidentially, “I’ve been trying to get him to buy a new one for years. He says this one has ‘sentimental value,’ but I say all it has is a bunch of holes and stains.” 

She leaned back, smiling, then turned to Nick.

“Now, let’s have a look at that arm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairly uneventful chapter, and a weird place to end, but it was already going on 6 pages. I just really love writing Diamond City, and I ~really~ hate Myrna.
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments (good or bad) are very much appreciated! Love you guys.


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys it's been forever. I got a job and stuff, so apologies for that. I have missed you all very nearly and dearly. This chapter's longer than the rest so far, so hopefully that will help you all forgive me :^
> 
> And, as always, I know I've said it many times and I will say it many more, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the kudos, comments, bookmarks, all of it! Y'all are my MUSE and I love hearing your feedback. Keep it up! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)
> 
> (Side note: I know this is sad but I finally just figured out how to use italics on here. This is a great day).

Chapter 7

  


“So, lemme get this straight. You were able to hold your own in a den full of raiders for _days_ , no problem, but one little roadroach had you hiding on top of a desk?” Ellie put a hand to her lips in an attempt to stifle laughter.

“Oh, leave me alone.” Wendy matched Ellie’s grin with one of her own from her chair in the agency. “The raiders never knew I was there! All I had to do was hide. The radroach, though—“ she stopped and shivered dramatically. “That thing was out to kill me. I swear I could see the bloodlust in its eyes.” That prompted a sarcastic “Oh, please,” from the bedroom upstairs where Nick was unpacking. Wendy could practically hear the eyeroll in his voice.

“ _Anyway_ , yes, I was cowering in fear on said desk, but Mister Valentine got there pretty quickly and took care of it with one shot. After that, I guess he realized how poor my skills with a gun actually are, and decided to teach me how to shoot.”

“So you _did_ eventually kill a radroach.”

“Oh, not just _a_ radroach. We have enough radroach meat to last a lifetime.”

“I can testify to that.” Nick walked down into the lower bedroom and offered a wry grin. “She made me carry all of it.”

Ellie laughed again. “Well, it sounds like the two of you had a pretty interesting trip. Glad you made it home safe.”

Nick sat down next to her on the bed. “So am I.” The three sat in companionable silence for a moment before Nick added, “Say, we got anything to eat in here? I’m sure our guest here is pretty hungry. Radroach meat isn’t exactly a five-star meal.”

As if on cue, Wendy’s stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly. “I could use some food.”

Ellie thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t think we have much to eat in here, no. But you know Diamond City like the back of your hand. I’m sure you could show her a great place to eat around here.”

Nick eyed her warily. He had a sneaking suspicion she was trying to play matchmaker, and this was far from her first attempt. Over their years of partnership, she had routinely annoyed him by setting up surprise dates for him or not-so-subtly pointing out women who would “look good with him” as the two walked though Diamond City. He knew she did these things out of kindness, in an attempt to make him happy, but he’d always thought it’d be a lot happier if she would simply mind her own business.

“True, but I don’t have time for giving tours. We’ve got a case, remember? These fingerprints aren’t gonna scan themselves.”

“You’re right. Good thing you have a secretary.” She smiled sweetly at him, and only Nick could see the venom behind it. His suspicions were confirmed.

“Kind as that is, I’d hate to dump more work on you. You’ve been handling both our shares of work for the past week. The least I can do is lighten the load.”

She waved a hand, feigning carelessness. “Oh, don’t you worry about me. If anyone here deserves a break, it’s you. You’ve been travelling the Commonwealth for days.”

Nick squinted at her menacingly. On occasion, he enjoyed these verbal games of chess. Tonight, however, was not one of those occasions. “How is a meal going to help me take a break if I don’t eat?” he shot back.

“How is working going to help you take a break?”

Nick opened his mouth for a rebuttal, only to realize he had none. Wendy spoke up from where she stood. “Nick, there’s no need for you to go anywhere. I’m sure I can find a few good places to eat on my own.”

_Shit._ He hadn’t meant to offend her. “No, no, I’m happy to come with. Just let me grab my coat and we can head out,” he answered apologetically. It seemed to have the desired effect, as Wendy’s eyes lit up and she smiled at him. The two were out the door within the next minute, Nick giving Ellie a threatening _this isn’t over_ stare at the last second, and Ellie waited for it to close before pumping a fist in the air and cheering a victorious, “Yes!”

 

 

Nick and Wendy meandered through a peaceful Diamond City just as dusk began to fall over the area. This was Nick’s favorite time of day—somehow, everyone just seemed a little less high-strung and a little more comfortable with one another. The paranoia of the Institute’s omnipresent surveillance seemed further away, and the citizens of Diamond City chatted happily with one another, enjoying conversations full of familiarity rather than caution. The city slowed down at this hour, and it never failed to make Nick feel a little more serene, if only for a short while.

“So.” He snapped out of his thoughts at Wendy’s sudden breaking the silence. “Where are the best places to get a bite to eat around here?”

He put a hand to his chin in thought. “Depends on what you’re looking to eat, I suppose. Most places are—“

Nick was rudely interrupted by a security guard shoving him roughly out of the way and running towards the Diamond City Market, muttering something about “those goddamn sneaky Institute bastards” and armed at the ready. Nick watched after him and raised a brow. “Should we go see what all the fuss is about?”

Wendy had begun walking towards the Market before he finished his sentence. “Yeah, let’s go.”

As the pair arrived in the center of town, they joined a large and growing crowd circled around two men, on pointing a gun at the other, and the second with his hands up in surrender. Wendy watched in intrigued horror.

The armed man, skin pale and hands shaking, yelled, “Where’s my brother?”

“I swear I’m not a synth. Don’t shoot!” came the frightened reply. “For God’s sakes, we’re family!”

The security guard who had nearly toppled over Nick spoke up then. “Put the gun down now!”

“He’s a synth!” the armed man screamed. “He’ll kill us all!”

In the next second, the guard aimed his gun and fired. The armed man fell to the ground, bloody and contorted, while the second man dropped to his knees and shrieked along with the spectators. His lips quivered and he bent over the corpse helplessly, then cried, “Kyle, no!” He stared at the guard helplessly as if hoping for the outcome to change and seemed unable to move. The guard returned his stare with a piercing glare, then turned to the crowd. “Show’s over. There are no synths in Diamond City, hear me? Just you folks and your damn paranoia.” The guards began to depart one at a time, soon followed by the crowd. A shocked silence fell over the residents as they retreated to their homes, and the Market was unnaturally quiet.

Nick grimaced. Violence against synths certainly wasn’t a rarity around here, but Nick could count on one hand the times it escalated to cold-blooded murder. He cleared his throat. “Sorry you, uh, had to see that.”

Wendy stood, unresponsive, with a trembling hand near her lips and wide, unblinking eyes. She stared disbelievingly at the man kneeling over his brother’s corpse, then finally looked up at Nick and spoke softly. “Why did they kill him?”

The confused, stormy sorrow clouding her eyes was too much and Nick looked away. “It’s… a long story. One that’s dividing the Commonwealth. I’ll explain it when we have some time.” He put an arm around her shoulders and nudged her along gently and he started to walk. “Why don’t we get you a drink? Think it might do you some good right about now.”

Wendy stopped and turned away from him. “We can, just… Hold on a second.” She made her way to the still kneeling victim and looked down at him.

“Are you okay?” Her voice came out shakier than she’d intended, but the man didn’t seem to notice or care in his state of astonishment. His eyes landed on Wendy, but he seemed to be staring through her at something hundreds of feet away. “He—he pulled on a gun on me. My own brother.” His eyes quickly became wet and not long after, fat tears began trailing down his cheeks. “I’m—I’m not a synth. I told him. I kept telling him! Why didn’t he listen to me?”

Wendy hesitated. She wasn’t quite sure why she had approached him, seeing as she had nothing to say that could console the man, but anything was better than nothing. I’m… I’m so sorry for your loss.”

The thousand-yard stare never left the man’s face. “Thank you. I just—I need to be alone for a minute. Thank you.” He turned and slumped off into the shadows. She watched him walk away in silence and walked back to Nick once he was gone. “Will you explain to me what a synth is?” Her voice was low and dark and still tremored just a little. “I didn’t realize they cause this much… controversy, whatever they are.”

Nick’s figurative heart ached a little at her innocent lack of knowledge. The moment he explained everything to her would be the moment she joined the Commonwealth’s biggest battle—the Institute versus the people—whether she wanted to or not. But, he supposed, she would have to know at some point. As he’d pointed out, the issue was one of the main sources of trouble in the Commonwealth. Turning an ignorant blind eye to it wouldn’t help anyone.

“I’d be happy to,” he answered softly. “But first, I promised you a meal and drinks, and I intend to make good on that promise. We can talk about all this over some dinner. And I know just the place.” He laid a hand on the middle of her back and guided her carefully through the market, making sure to avoid Myrna and anyone else who would worsen the situation by hurling insults at him, and eventually ended up entering Dugout Inn.

The moment they stepped inside, Nick was greeted with a booming, “NICKY VALENTINE! Haha! I thought you’d never be back, I have not seen you in ages! Come, come, surely you’d like a nice, cold drink, yes?” The man behind the counter who had yelled these words stood beaming like a child on Christmas. Apparently he hadn’t witnessed the spectacle outside. Nick returned the smile and strode up to the counter.

“Good to see you too, Vadim. I’ve been a little tied up with cases lately, so I haven’t had time for much else. How’s business been?”

“Business is good, business is good!” Vadim’s volume didn’t lower despite Nick’s being closer to him. “It has been slow, nothing much has happened. I—,” his eyes shifted and landed on Wendy, and if possible, his smile grew. So did his loudness. “Ohoho, Nick, you are rascal!” He clapped an enormous hand to a confused Nick’s shoulder. “I had no idea you had a lady friend with you. Pardon my manners, miss!” He turned to Wendy then, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Can I get you something to drink? You know, we are known here for having best moonshine in the Commonwealth! We call it Bobrov’s Best Moonshine. Can I get you some?”

Wendy couldn’t help the small but genuine smile that fought its way to her face—the man’s happiness was contagious. She nodded and headed towards the barstool next to Nick’s. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”

“Ha! I knew you looked like woman with good taste!” As she sat down, Vadim began preparing her drink and chattering amiably, mostly to Nick, about how business had been lately, about his brother Yefim, and about anything else that happened to come to his mind. He proudly served Wendy his moonshine and dusted his hands off on his belly, then leaned on the counter and observed Wendy as she sipped the drink.

“Well? Is it not the best you have had?”

It stung Wendy’s throat and felt like fire going down, but she couldn’t deny the taste was exquisite. She nodded. “It actually is. How do you make this?”

Vadim put a finger to his lips and smiled once more. “Ah, ah! It is family secret. Glad you enjoy it, though. Nick? Can I get you one?”

Nick shook his head and smiled a little. “You know it doesn’t have any effect on me, Vadim.”

“Yes, yes, but why not have one just for the hell of it, eh?” Vadim boomed.

Nick held up a hand. “Thanks, but I’ll have to refuse.”

“Ah, suit yourself.” Vadim grabbed a towel form the counter and slung it over his shoulder, then turned to leave. “I have some other things to attend to, but please, if you need anything else, you just ask my brother over there.” He leaned in on his elbow and quietly laughed, “He is bit of a spoilsport, if you ask me. But he’ll get you what you need.” He stood back up and placed one beefy hand on each of their shoulders and shook them a little. “Have a good night, you two!” And with that, he departed. Wendy smiled after him and took another swig of moonshine.

“I like that guy.”

Nick made a sound of agreement. “He’s been a good friend to me for years. I don’t get many opportunities to visit this place for lack of time, but I like to every once in a while just to see that big, goofy grin.” He turned to look at Wendy. “By the way, you sure you’ll be able to handle that moonshine? It’s pretty strong. Especially if you haven’t had a good hard drink in over two hundred years.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll be fine. It’s just the one drink.”

Nick shrugged. “If you say so. Anyway, you still up for that lesson on synths?”

Wendy downed another swig as a means of preparation. “As ready as I’m gonna get. Lay it on me.”

And he did. Over the course of the next two hours, Nick felt like an old-world professor, lecturing and answering questions like a professional as he talked through the details of synths and the Institute, sparing no detail from the sneaky replacement of townsfolk to the Broken Mask Incident. With each subject he talked about, Wendy seemed to grow increasingly irritated at the general treatment of synths. And the better acquainted she became with the brief history of synths, the better acquainted she grew with her moonshine. As she raised a finger to order a fourth glass from Yefim, Nick covered her hand with his own.

“I think you’ve had enough for tonight. You’ll wanna be in your right mind when we have a look at those fingerprints tomorrow, won’t you?”

She took her hand from under his and waved it dismissively. “Please, Mister Nick. I’m _fine_.”

He recalled with dull and fleeting pride that he had guessed she wouldn’t be able to handle Vadim’s booze for long before it took effect. He couldn’t help being a little entertained, but tried not to let it show. “That reminds me, no more of this ‘Mister Valentine’ thing. It’s just Nick, you got it?”

She giggled and slapped him on the shoulder heartily as if he’d made the best joke she’d heard in years. “No, _you_ got it.” She continued chuckling to herself, then suddenly grew somber. “I have just ooooone more question. About scents.”

“Synths?”

She pointed at him excitedly and yelled, “Yes! Yes. That.” She sat up straighter and cleared her throat, trying to act sophisticated if Nick had to guess. “So, why don’t you look like the other synths? You know. You have the—“ She wiggled her fingers in front of her face—“the skin stuff.”

“Well, I was… an experiment of sorts. If you couldn’t already tell by the skin falling off or the glowing eyes, I wasn’t exactly a success.” Nick never much cared for talking about his origin, and he tried—and failed—to keep the bitterness from leaking into his voice as he recounted what he knew of it. He looked down and began speaking more to the floor than to anyone in particular.

“The Institute wasn’t always such an expert in synth-building; they worked their way up to where they are now—to the Gen 3s. I’m a Gen 2 Prototype—only one of my kind, that I know of—so I guess they hadn’t quite worked out the kinks when I was created. Gave me nothing but this worn out old mug and someone else’s memories. After that, lucky me got the boot from the place, and since then I built myself up a life in the Commonwealth. So, believe me, nobody hates the place more than I do.”

He chanced a glance back up at her and found she was frowning deeply, brow furrowed. She met his shoulder with a small, comforting hand, looked into his eyes, and matter-of-factly said, “That’s really shitty.”

Nick smiled wryly at her. “You’re tellin’ me. Can’t really blame people for the paranoia, I suppose, but it gets pretty tiresome having to convince everyone I meet that I’m not going to try to kill them.” He straightened up his shoulders. “Things’ve come a long way, though. When I first came to Diamond City, everyone was almost too scared to look at me. Once I cracked a few cases, though, things started to turn around. Now most people see me as Nick the Detective, not just Nick the Synth.”

Wendy knit her brow once more and stared just below his face with unfocused eyes, looking befuddled. “What about people like Myrna, then?” She looked back up to his eyes. “Why does she still hate you?”

Nick shrugged, and her hand moved from his shoulder, only to land lightly on his wrist. “Some people just won’t change their minds, no matter what you do for ‘em. After a while, it’s just not worth it to prove yourself to them anymore. So I just let Myrna think what she thinks.”

“Mm. Yeah.” Wendy stared fixedly at nothing until she suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked up at him. “Well _I_ like you, Nick. Scent or not,” she added as she poked a finger into his chest, then picked up the bottle again, putting it to her lips only to remember it was empty. She grunted in frustration and looked around helplessly. Nick chuckled.

“I think we’ve talked enough about all this for tonight. It’s high time we get you to bed. We got a big day ahead of us.”

Wendy huffed and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. “I don’t need bed. I’m not even drunk, silly. See?”

To prove her point, she stood up from her stool and attempted to walk. She didn’t make it one full step before tripping over her other foot and falling like a log.

“Woah!” Nick was out of his seat and at her side in the next second with one hand supporting her elbow and the other around her waist as giggles started to escape her. The customers scattered around the room began to watch as her giggling erupted into unabashed laughter and she slapped a hand down on the bar mirthfully.

“Did you see that? I almost fell right down there! You saved me!”

Nick looked at her exasperatedly. “Yeah, yeah, I saw it. I think we ought to go ahead and nab you a room. Any more drinking and you’ll officially be a hazard to everybody here.” He escorted her gently towards a scowling Yefim waiting in the doorway to the hotel section of the building.

“Will not,” she answered defiantly. “You’re the one who’s a hazmat.”

Nick ignored her and shuffled the two of them disgracefully towards a glowering Yefim leaning against the wall, who gave them an up-down of disapproval noticed only by Nick, then spoke with a sulky voice.

“You want a room? It is ten caps a night.”

Nick fished ten caps out of his pocket and handed them over. “Which room?”

“Number 2, straight through the door.” Yefim jerked a thumb backward in the direction of the door without looking up. Wendy and Nick stumbled through the door marked “2” and Nick kicked it shut as he directed Wendy to sit on the bed. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at a clock on the wall that read 11:30 p.m. and sighed. He’d expected to be back at the agency by 9. Ellie was going to have a _lot_ of questions in store for him once he got back. He turned his attention back to Wendy and released his supportive grip on her as she swung her feet and smiled gleefully at him.

“Alright, here’s the plan. Ellie and I will look at the prints in the morning, and I’ll come back here for you as soon as we’re finished. Something tells me you’ll want to sleep in a bit tomorrow. That all sound good?”

Wendy tilted her head and stared at him blankly. “Do you ever use your face as a flashlight?”

“What?”

“Your eyes are so bright, they have to glow in the dark, right? Have you ever used them as a flashlight?”

Nick was torn badly between amusement and irritation, but mostly, he was just tired. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Long as you’ve got that Pip-boy of yours, I don’t see any reason to.”

She made a _hm_ noise at that and rubbed her chin like an old philosopher. Nick took advantage of her short moment of silence and headed hastily for the door. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Wait!”

Nick stopped in the doorway and turned slowly back around to face her. “What is it now?”

“C’mere. I gotta tell you a secret.”

Nick eyed her warily and looked at the clock again.

“Look, I really ought to be getting back. Ellie’s probably worried by now.”

“Just come over here really quick. Super quick. I promise. It’s important.”

Nick took a few cautious steps towards her but maintained the distance. “Alright, what is it?”

She shook her head stubbornly. “Even closer.”

Nick looked at her with exasperation, sat down on the bed next to her, and leaned in, cupping a hand to his ear dramatically. “ _Yes_?”

That seemed to satisfy her, as she leaned in, and in a volume that ‘whispering’ would be too generous to describe, giggled, “Your eyebrows look funny.”

He leaned back and glared at her for a moment, briefly thinking of a retaliation before deciding it wasn’t worth it. Instead, he straightened his coat, stood up, and headed once more for the exit. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the radroaches bite.”

With that, he stepped quietly out the door, closed it, and put a lit cigarette to his mouth then exhaled deeply.

This was going to be a long case.


End file.
